Connecting the world.
Inside
A MESSAGE FROM ISSS DIRECTOR ABE SCHAFERMEYER
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DRISTI MANANDHAR
TOP COUNTRIES OF CITIZENSHIP
FULBRIGHT PROGRAM’S FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING ASSISTANT AWARD
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS
THE OREGON EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
VISITING FACULTY
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT: MUBARAK HUSSAIN SYED
isss.uoregon.edu
Office of International Affairs5209 University of OregonEugene, OR 97403-5209
32
A MESSAGEFROM ISSS DIRECTOR
ABE SCHAFERMEYER
Keeping Our CommitmentOn behalf of the staff of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) in the Office of International Affairs at the University of Oregon, I am pleased to offer our 2016-2017 Annual Report.
In a year of considerable domestic and international change, we in ISSS have made efforts to commit to our mission by continuing to provide our international students and scholars with extraordinary opportunities for study, research, learning, and personal and professional growth. Our dedication stems from a belief in the critical contributions that international students and scholars bring to the intellectual and cultural vitality of our campus as well as the broader local, state, and national communities in which our university is situated. The exchange of ideas, the sharing of global experiences, and the benefits of cross-cultural engagement and interaction inform our core values and beliefs as international educators. We have benefited this past year in engaging campus partners, colleagues, and members of our community in a series of reflective meetings and discussions that have reaffirmed our commitment and re-energized our efforts to provide superior programs and services that underlie our mission.
At the same time, the past year has allowed us to identify distinct challenges emerging on the horizon. After several years of rapid growth in international enrollments at the UO and other institutions across the United States, the international education environment has become more challenging. International students, in particular, are being offered increasingly attractive options across the globe for pursuing their educational and professional dreams. In this context, we have to remain committed to providing an unparalleled educational experience that combines our high academic standards and values with the distinctive opportunities for engagement and development afforded by our uniquely special campuses in Eugene and Portland.
In the following pages you will find more detail about our programs, services, and international student and scholar community. I hope you find the report informative and enjoy the stories that exemplify how international students and scholars enrich the UO educational experience. I welcome your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions about how we can work together to fulfill our shared mission. Please drop me a line at [email protected] to continue the conversation.
54
International Student Enrollment
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500 3013
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATESTUDENTS
2572 441
441
300
400
500
2015-162014-152013-142012-132011-12
20162006
2016-2017
Undergraduate Students
Business Administration
Economics
Liberal Arts
Journalism
Computer and Information Science
General Social Science
Mathematics
Psychology
Accounting
Education
670
417
262
135
126
121
94
82
77
77
26%
16%
10%
5%
5%
5%
4%
3%
3%
3%
TOTAL PERCENT
Computer & Information Science
Architecture
Linguistics
Accounting
Media Studies
Music Performance
General Business
Sports Product Management
East Asian Languages and Literature
Special Education
42
24
21
20
20
18
17
17
16
14
10%
5%
5%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
TOTAL PERCENT
Top Ten Majors for 2016-2017
Graduate student enrollment
Graduate Students
76
“I want to make a difference, even if it’s a little thing.”
On April 25, 2015 a 7.8 magnitude
earthquake struck Kathmandu, Nepal and
the only thing Dristi Manandhar thought of
was her family.
As the hours and days following the
earthquake unfolded with a series of
strong aftershocks, the extent of the
devastation rose to unreal numbers:
more than 8,000 dead, 21,000 injured, 40
percent of the country’s infrastructure
damaged and nearly 505,000 homes
destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of
people were made homeless, with entire
villages flattened across many districts of
the country.
Manandhar tapped six architecture alumni
from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu,
where she did her undergraduate work,
to join forces designing an emergency
shelter solution for their country. The
team adopted the name Aashraya, which in
Sanskrit means shelter.
The team of designers quickly set out to
draw plans for an economical transitional
shelter that not only could withstand
the coming rainy season but also Nepal’s
strong winds. In a matter of two days, they
came up with a dome design inspired by
the work of Eli Kretzmann, a tour operator
who in 2010 created a shelter to bring
relief to millions after a flood in Pakistan.
“With just $300 you can build two
temporary shelters,” Manandhar said. “The
whole thing takes just three hours for two
people to build and all the materials are
reusable.”
Aashraya shared the plans with as many
organizations as possible. In just 45 days,
the team helped create more than 2,300
shelters across Nepal.
In the flurry of activity, Manandhar scarcely
recalled the half-dozen graduate school
applications she had started months
before. Without phone services, electricity
or even mail, Manandhar did not realize she
had been accepted to the UO until a week
after the earthquake.
Manandhar’s leadership and talent caught
the attention of recruiter Holly Coble at
UO’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.
Despite intermittent email communication,
she began working on a strategy to bring
Manandhar to Oregon. The main challenge
at the time was strictly financial.
News of the devastation in Nepal stirred
a keen sense of regret for many in the
UO community, as Eugene is a sister city
to Kathmandu. A full tuition scholarship
for students from Nepal was formed. The
scholarship’s main requirement: that the
recipient would make the commitment to
return home after graduation to support
rebuilding efforts. And so they selected
Manandhar as the first recipient of the
scholarship.
Now, as a graduate architecture student at
the UO, Manandhar has been researching
sustainable design, particularly passive
heating and cooling methods in buildings.
After two years away, Manandhar graduated
from the UO this spring and will return home
to finish what she started.
Using Architecture to Rebuild Her Home
98
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
ENROLLMENT OF CHINESE STUDENTS INCREASED BY
2021%IN THE PAST DECADE
Chinese Student Enrollment
2037
96
2006 2016
Top 10 Countries of Citizenship
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATESTUDENTS
1934 103
1110
CANADA51
CHINA2037
IRAN30 JAPAN
90
REPUBLIC OF KOREA110
TAIWAN85
INDONESIA29
HONG KONG23
SAUDI ARABIA124
INDIA45
International Scholarships 2016-2017
$1,795,700 $750,000
$202,700
$140,000
$152,000
$430,000
Financial aid and scholarships for international students
Total Scholarship funds through the International Cultural Service Program (ICSP)
Total disbursement through Endowed Scholarships
International Student Fee Remission
Total Sponsored Scholarships awarded
Total International Dean’s Excellence Award (IDEA)
Fulbright Program’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Award
Hyderabad, Pakistan
Grad Program: Linguistics and English Literature
Languages: English, Urdu, and Sindhi
Kainat ShaikhChainat, Thailand
Suparada Eak-in
Grad Program: Language Teaching Specialization
Languages: English, Thai
Hanoi, VietnamAnh Duong
Grad Program: English Language Teaching
Languages: English and Vietnamese
Nairobi, KenyaGrad Program: Linguistics
Languages: English, Swahili, and Kikuyu
Irene Njenga
Through the prestigious Fulbright Program’s
Foreign Language Teaching Assistant award,
international student-teachers are able to
spend a year at the UO, contributing to their
host academic department, interacting with
colleagues and students, and exploring the
structure and content of undergraduate
education at a selective, residential
liberal arts college, all while enriching the
cultural community through their active
involvement with the ICSP. The FLTA award
is highly competitive, as Fulbright FLTAs
apply to the program through the Fulbright
Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy
in their home countries. The Institute of
International Education (IIE) arranges
academic placement for Fulbright FLTA
nominees and co-supervises participants
alongside the Office of International Affairs
staff, during their stay in the United States.
Selection as a host institution is also very
competitive, but the UO’s financial and
logistical commitment through the years
to language instruction and language
diversity as the key to cultural and mutual
understanding, has allowed for many highly
skilled and energetic FLTAs to join the UO
and enhance the UO’s language teaching
abilities.
By participating in community events and
campus activities through the ICSP, FLTAs
are able to increase their knowledge of
American culture while sharing the values
and customs of their own countries.
isss.uoregon.edu/scholarships
1312
The Oregon Experience Program
During the summer of 2017, the Office
of International Affairs and the Center
for Applied Second Language Studies
partnered to create a cohesive summer
experience program. The Oregon
Experience Program is designed
exclusively to help international
students explore American university
life, learn about topics related to
sustainability and health, and connect
with the culture and people of Oregon.
While exploring the wonders of
Oregon, students developed lifelong
intercultural connections. They
participated on group excursions to
places like Mount Bachelor, Crater
Lake, Silver Falls, and explore the city
of Eugene. Students got to explore the
oep.uoregon.edu
beauty of Oregon’s natural environment
and the vibrant culture and welcoming
residents of Eugene. Students stayed
in homestay accommodations, getting
first-hand experience of American
family culture.
Students spent time with dedicated
faculty discussing global issues related
to sustainability and health and found
potential solutions for the issues raised
in class.
The service learning activity and
serving as a volunteer allowed students
to receive hands-on experience by
becoming part of the local community.
1514
Total Scholars for 2016-2017 258
Top Countries of Citizenship
China
South Korea
Canada
Germany
Pakistan
France
United Kingdom
Japan
Spain
Australia
Brazil
108
31
15
13
10
10
7
6
6
4
3
42%
12%
6%
5%
4%
4%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
TOTAL PERCENT
Top 10 Departments
Education
Asian & Pacific Studies
Linguistics
Applied Second Language Studies
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Architecture
Human Physiology
Molecular Biology
Mathematics
Product Design
42
41
12
11
10
8
8
7
7
7
16%
16%
5%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
TOTAL PERCENT SHOWING...NOTTELLING
1716
Inspiring curiosity & driving discovery.
“The brain is a world consisting of a number of unexplored
continents and great stretches of unknown territory,” said
Santiago Ramón y Cajal, a Spanish neurologist from the early
20th century. This is what motivates Mubarak Hussain Syed
to work in neuroscience in the Doe Lab at University of Oregon.
Syed grew up in a small village in Kashmir with his parents
and two brothers. They did not have a phone or internet, and
sometimes they didn’t have electricity. Syed was encouraged
by his parents to go to school and work hard in his classes.
Reading books and magazines, Syed found an interest in
science and received a bachelor’s degree in botany, zoology,
and chemistry. After he received his master’s in biochemistry
at University of Kashmir and a PhD in Germany, Syed
participated in a developmental biology workshop with the
National Center for Biological Science (NCBS) where he first
worked with Drosophila (fruit flies).
Since then, Syed has been working as an international
scholar at the UO to solve questions about human brain
development and functions by studying fruit flies. “Drosophila
is a genetically tractable organism; we can turn a gene on
or off any time we want to and above all 75% of their genes
are the same as ours,” said Syed. Fruit flies are an excellent
model system to understand the development and function
of human brain cells.
Syed recently led a study that found that hormones regulate
brain development in fruit flies, which shares a link to thyroid
hormones in humans. “Once we understand how a normal brain
develops and functions, and what goes wrong in neurological
disorders, then we will be able to treat patients suffering from
various brain disorders,” said Syed.
Syed will continue exploring the diversity of human brain cell
types to determine their roles in health and disease. He hopes
to continue his research at the UO to help find treatments for
human neurodevelopmental disorders.
Studying Flies to Discover More About the Human Brain
isss.uoregon.edu/faculty-scholars
1918